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Things I wish I’d known at 13

Recently a friend of mine asked me to contribute to a list of things we wished we’d known at 13 for a boy who is about to turn 13.

Here’s what I came up with:

Things I wish I’d known at 13

For every person who breaks your heart, there is likely someone who you’ve heart-broken.

Shined shoes are one way potential employers judge whether you’d be the right person for the job.

Everyone is delicate on the inside. Treat everyone you meet with the respect you’d expect them to show you.

Life is not fair, don’t expect it to be.

Don’t expect that people will do what you expect of them. Very often they won’t meet your expectations. Accept that they are doing as best they can, and you don’t know what’s going on in their lives that may be impacting them.

You won’t meet others expectations all the time either.

Some days you won’t have it in you to do your best, that’s okay too. Pick up where you left off and give it your best the next day.

Nothing fixes a bad day like laughing. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh.

Eat breakfast every day.

Don’t smoke. Anything. Ever. It will kill you.

Some things you won’t understand until you are much older. Some things you may never understand. That’s okay, too.

That girl (or boy) you want to kiss but are afraid to…Just give them a kiss. You might be surprised. (Or embarrassed, but embarrassment fades quickly and you’ll never know until you try.)

When you find the person who is the love of your life, you will know it. There may be people you think are “The One”. There may be people you convince yourself are “The One.” These people may not be “The One.” But when you meet the person who you love and can live with forever, you will know it. It may take years to find that person.

There are many paths to “success,” your job is to find the one that suits you the best.